Recently diagnosed with prostate cancer

Hi G 

Bone scan and biopsy will tell more but looks like bone scan first.

Main thing here, location and size of tumour.

If it's still inside the gland then easier to treat, if u can find that out will help with your anxiety.

Here's hoping bone scan clear 

Steve 

Please check on the actual wording here.  Did your Dad get a copy of the MRI report and it actually says attached to the prostate?  As never heard it worded this way usually they would say within the prostate. 

Depending on how your health authority, hospital and consultant work your Dad may be offered a bone scan and maybe even a PET Scan and Biopsy.  It is good to have the biopsy after the MRI scan as the biopsy can be guided by the MRI image to the actual tumour whereas without the MRI a small area of cancer could be missed - also if the biopsy is done before the MRI he would have to wait about 6 weeks after the biopsy for the MRI so that the inflammation and swelling in the prostate had subsided to have a clear MRI.  If having more tests and scans they will be reported to the multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) at the hospital and they will discuss the diagnosis and possible treatment options at an MDT meeting decide on a way forward.  All health authorities, hospitals and consultants seem to have different ways of doing this.  I had the biopsy before the MRI - hopefully fewer people are having this done that way around now as it makes so much sense to get the MRI first.  When I turned up for my treatment I was amazed to find that men with a lower grade cancer and lower PSA - mine was 13, had had bone scans and PET Scans whereas I had only had biopsy and MRI. 

The worst thing about the road to diagnosis is the waiting for tests, scans and reports and appointments - it is possibly one of the worst things about the whole journey.  My urologist told me to make this a positive time and inform all my male relatives and friends over 50 to get regular PSA checks as the earlier Prostate Cancer is diagnosed can be key.  My father died at nearly 90 with prostate cancer but not of prostate cancer and both my only brother and I were diagnosed at the same age but mine was slightly more advanced than his.  We had both been having regular PSA checks since we were  45 we have now both been successfully treated and have been cancer free in my case for nearly 7 years and in his for nearly 5.  Needless to say both my sons now have regular PSA checks as their Uncle on their Mum's side died of Stage 4 prostate cancer at 68 having been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 54/55 after having to retire from work with a heart attack - also their Mum and her sister had thyroid cancer at the same age and then ovarian cancer a little later - unfortunately my wife died of her ovarian cancer at 57 but thankfully her sister was successfully treated.  It is thought that ovarian cancer can also have a genetic link to prostate cancer in men.  The hospital where I first went was actually researching this but not sure if they have come up with anything definite yes as I understan that now a London hospital is doing similar research.

You can also sometimes help things along by telling the hospital department where you are having the tests and scans that you can be available for a short notice appointment so that they can ring you up if an appointment is cancelled or someone does not turn up - if, like me you are that close to the hospital (for me 20 mins travel time at most) and I am retired.  You can also ask for copies of consultants reports, tests and scans to be copied to you so that you know a bit more of whats going on - though you may not understand all the jargon in the letters - we found this also helps when correspondence to GP is lost or filed and not actioned - which has happened to us and it enabled us to contact the GP or hospital and ask what was happeneing re further tests or medication when correspondence had either been lost, not sent or just sat on the file unactioned. 

It may also be helpful to you to have a look at the Prostate Cancer Toolkit set of pamphlets on the Prostate Cancer UK website - you can download the, read them on line or get them posted to you - but these days with the postal strikes that would take too long so better read on line.  This set of pamphlets is brilliant and helps explain medical jargon and phrasing and the road through diagnosis.  Prostate Cancer UK also has a help line manned by Specialist Prostate Cancer Nurses a free phone number 0800 074 8383  the lines are open Mon, Tue, Thur and Fri 9am to 6 pm and on Wednesdays from 10 am to 8pm.  My wife and I found the advice from these nurses invaluable when we couldn't contact the hospital - this was before Covid and low staffing and backlogs so now it must be even harder to get through to the person you need at the hospital.

All the very best.

Let us know how your Dad gets on and we are always here to answer any queries and hopefully help you along the way.

hello 

thank you so much for your reply, im so sorry to hear about you wife passing, yes we are also only 20 mins away from hospital, my dad is retired he’s a very fit 71 never had a health scare so we are all in shock, he’s been at the hospital today having radiation vaccine the bone scan, im praying it’s not spread,  also i’m sorry to hear about your dad too, my brother is now having PSA tests, so my dad had MRI scan and on the scan it’s like the size of a grape attached to the prostate they said they knew right away it looked like cancer, my dad has his bloods done every year but on his way on said oh while i’m here can we check for PSA from seeing an advert i wish there was screening for this so annoyed at it!! he is having a biopsy tomorrow, i will let you know when results come in 

hi thank you for replying bone scan all done, biopsy was today but my dads blood pressure was to high so can’t do op, have to wait 3 weeks now which is not good, he has to take medication now to bring it down, im gonna check it everyday, is this normal to be left 3 weeks does this maybe mean it’s not as bad? 

thank you 

I presume that u don't have bone scan results yet.  I wouldn't worry about the 3 weeks delay,  they prob just want to be sure about the BP,

If u can get hold of a copy of the MRI report  it could tell u more,. as Freefaller has already mentioned, 'attached to the prostate is not usual wording so could be worth checking..'  

Steve

my dads bone scan was ALL CLEAR were so happy no just to shrink the prostate i have a copy of his letter and i don’t fully understand it but i’ll sent bits from it on here! my dad was so worried today when i dropped him off 

So that's really good news, cancer probably contained in the gland, potentially curable.

Think you can give a sigh of relief and not to worry quite so much now.

Keep us posted when u know more.

MRI report should indicate tumour size in mm, that would be useful to know because obviously the smaller the better.

As an example when I was diagnosed my tumour size was small at ,3mm, by the time I started treatment 4 years later it was about 12mm

Steve 

That's just the thing you have to ask for PSA screening.  I am thankful that my brother had a PSA test every year from age 40+ for his work medical and got me to get an annual PSA test as well - though some GP's were not keen on doing it for the first 14 years I was in the military so it was easy getting it done then but outside with the NHS some GP's just refused to do the test regularly.

Hope all goes well with your Dad's treatment.  Prostate Cancer is generally slow growing and PSA is on the low side - some people have PSA in the 100's and even higher and so there is probably enough time for  your Dad and you to look into various treatment plans and choose the one which is right for him.

hello thanks for replying 

how come your tumour had grown so much when they knew about it, can it grow that quick, he had a PSA 15.8  it says on his letter PI-RADS 5  

DRE T3 feeling prostate cancer on right side no nodal or bony involment i do not know what this means, so i bought him a blood pressure machine as his bloods are sky high but it’s basically white coat syndrome, but now his bones are clear it has come right down, bless him he was shaking horrible to see, so now he had an app for biopsy end of the month, MRI all done it was showing small grape size tumour about 3mm! i wish men had screening for PSA my brother and my partner are now booked in NHS have been amazing 

A 3 week delay is probably nothing to worry about at this stage.  High blood pressure would have to be addressed before any treatment plan can be decided upon and started as the treatments can have an effect so if already high it could cause more problems.  Make sure your Dad has had his flu and Covid vaccinations if applicable my brother-in-law's treatment was held up until he had had his flu vaccination so had to have time to arrange the vaccination and wait for 10 days afterwards.

Glad to hear the bone scan is clear.  Yes do post all the jargon for translation on here.  You need to know position and size of tumour PSA (which you have already given and Gleason Score - which you will be given after biopsy and staging which will be given as T (followed by a number) -  N (followed by a number) and  M (followed by a number)  For example mine was T2N0M0 so stage 2 nodes 0 - ie there was no cancer spread to the lymph nodes and M = metastases (sorry if I have not spelled that correctly) - spread to area outside local area so no spread. 

All the best.